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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · mine · chest · dip · bark · arm · hand · swing

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. press — to push
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chest — a box
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bark — to shout
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — music
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. dip — to sink
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com